China set to defy Vatican, appoint bishop

The Vatican has asked Beijing to honor an agreement that it would not ordain bishops without approval from both sides after it emerged that an independent ordination will take place on Thursday. A Vatican source said papal officials were "completely dismayed" about the decision to ordain Father Wang Renlei as bishop of Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, the South China Morning Post reported. However, Liu Bainian, vice president of the state-controlled China Catholic Patriotic Association, distanced himself from the ceremony, saying it was a decision made by the local diocese. Wang is set to become the fifth bishop appointed in China this year, and the fourth to be ordained without papal approval, AFP reported.